A recent Harvard Business Review article cited that a shocking 87% of sales and marketing departments had negative opinions about each other.

Given that marketing and sales teams are responsible for two different but collaborative aspects of the overall selling process, this is an unacceptable statistic. The alignment of sales and marketing is one of the most critical sales management responsibilities.  Especially at B2B sales companies, the marketing team is responsible for generating demand and leads, preferably Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs), that the sales team can work on and subsequently close more deals and increase revenue.  Since sales and marketing efforts go hand in hand with each other, it is important that both departments maintain a strong bond and collaborative partnership.  We gathered these helpful tips to help sales managers ensue that their sales and marketing teams are properly aligned and playing their given roles to the best of their capabilities.

Communication

Communication is the most important cornerstone to forging a positive relationship between the two teams.  This means being on the same page with one another on individual and team goals so that both teams can hold the other party accountable for their expected goals.

Mutual Understanding

It is important for the two teams to share a mutual understanding of each other’s responsibilities in order to work together more effectively and efficiently.  One way to ensure your teams are on the same page is to utilize sales analytics and metrics, as it allows them to share actionable data more easily. This collaborative information can lead to improved sales processes, allowing reps to subsequently close more deals.

Cooperation

The common conflict between sales and marketing teams is usually centered around the number and quality of leads (according to sales) or an inability to properly work on available leads (according to marketing). It is important to remember that both teams are working toward the same goal – increasing revenue – and to avoid pointing fingers and naming names when things don’t go as planned.

Respect

This means respecting the unique characteristics of each other’s teams and understanding that each is responsible for fundamentally different aspects of the sales process.  Instead of playing the blame game on each other when lead generation or revenue is down, they should respect and understand that each is equally responsible through tough times or good times.

Team Appreciation

Sales and marketing teams should be confident in each other’s capabilities to be the best sales and marketing power force for the company.  Your sales and marketing teams should complement each other’s hard work and achievements.  This will increase their overall confidence in one another and build a stronger and more positive relationship.

Sales companies in particular know that the key to success lies in getting their sales and marketing teams to be in alignment with one another. It is your job as the sales manager to make sure that each knows their role and are playing their respective parts.  Use this guide as a reference to ensure that your sales and marketing teams are working with one another to increase the overall sales productivity of your company.

What do you think are the best ways to get sales and marketing properly aligned?